Breakers 103
Adelaide 89
The Breakers finally snapped a four-game basketball losing streak with victory over the Adelaide 36ers at the North Shore Events Centre last night.
Ahead 55-40 at halftime, a weak third quarter put the Breakers under huge pressure going into the final 10 minutes but, in a reversal of recent games, they dug deep in the final spell to secure the ANBL win.
The Breakers, who had not won since before Christmas, could take nothing for granted after their fourth-quarter capitulation against the Melbourne Tigers last week, where they led by 15 points at the final break but eventually lost 94-89.
But this time, when the pressure went on, the Breakers - aided by a game high 49 from Kirk Penney - finally delivered a win.
Both teams looked sluggish at the start, and nearly a minute and a half elapsed before the scorers were troubled.
Adelaide forward Nathan Herbert's three-pointer kick-started the 36ers into action, and they eased out to a 7-0 lead before Penney got the Breakers off with the first of his nine three-pointers.
Ahead 22-21 at the end of the first spell, Adelaide had no answer to a second-quarter Breakers surge which saw them outscore the Australians 34-18 and leap to a 55-40 halftime lead.
The 36ers came back fighting in the third quarter, and with 10 minutes to go, the Breakers' lead had evaporated to just three points. But the Breakers finally maintained composure in the last 10 minutes to secure the win.
Although they were missing swing man Tom Abercrombie, out with an ankle injury, new American guard Kevin Braswell contributed nine assists and freed up CJ Bruton to support Penney with 20 points.
Adelaide captain Adam Ballinger, struggling with back spasms, dug deep for his team and managed nearly 20 minutes of court time, but played without his usual freedom and his contribution was restricted to just four points. Guard John Gilchrist top-scored with 22.
- NZPA
